Living Theology 2024
Friday 28th – 30th June
What is Living Theology?
The Living Theology Summer School has been organised by Jesuits and their associates in venues across the country for over 50 years. The courses continue to provide opportunities for Christians of all denominations to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith and develop their personal reflection on Christian living and belief. No prior theological knowledge is required, just an open mind and willingness to engage.
The Courses
All participants follow the Key Note lecture on Friday night. (Please note, this is a change to previous years). This lecture is also a Public Lecture, to which everyone is welcome, even if not attending the rest of the weekend.
Participants then choose two other courses, one for Saturday and another for Sunday. Each course will consist of three presentations throughout the day. This makes it possible for those who are only able to attend on one day, to complete a full course.
Timetable
Friday 28th June
(6pm Supper for resident participants)
6.45pm Registration begins for non-residential participants
7.15pm Introduction to the Weekend
7.30pm Key Note Lecture
8.45pm Tea/coffee
Saturday 29th June
(8am Breakfast for resident participants)
9am Registration for new participants
9.30am Morning Prayer
10.00am Lecture 1
11.00am Tea/coffee
11.30am Lecture 2
12.30pm Lunch
2.00pm Lecture 3
3.00pm Tea/coffee
5.00pm Mass for Sunday
(6pm Supper for resident participants)
Sunday 30th June
As Saturday until 3pm.
3.10pm Closing Prayer (Chapel)
Tea and departures
KEYNOTE LECTURE
FRIDAY EVENING PUBLIC LECTURE
Old Testament Listening Ideals
We will spend our time together delving into the Old Testament’s understanding of “listening” with particular reference to the familiar prayer called in Hebrew the Shema: “Hear, O Israel, you shall love the Lord your God …” How can this Old Testament insistence enrich how we engage in spiritual conversation? With that question in mind, we will look at some Old Testament texts, both familiar and less familiar, to explore who we are as deep listeners – and learn a tad of Hebrew in the process.
Lecturer: Karen Eliasen
Karen Eliasen was born in London to Danish parents who later emigrated to Canada. After finishing Biblical studies in Canada, she taught English in Arctic Greenland for several years. She has been on the Team at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre since 2013.
THE COURSES
There are three courses offered on Saturday, and each is repeated on Sunday. You may choose one course for Saturday and another for Sunday.
COURSE A ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Exploring New Testament Christologies
Lecturer: Josette Zammit-Mangion IBVM
Each New Testament author has a particular way, or indeed particular ways, of talking about Jesus, emerging from their own personal encounter with Christ and/or what best relates to the situation of their communities. We will explore the images of Christ which appear in the letters of Paul, the letter to the Hebrews and the book of Revelation, locating them within their original context and briefly addressing their significance for us today. It would be helpful if you could read some of the texts beforehand.
Josette is a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She works as a spiritual director and has an interest in New Testament Studies, particularly the letters of Paul.
COURSE B Liberation Theology: Origins and Enduring Relevance
Lecturer: Ethna Regan CHF
Liberation Theology has been described as the most significant theological movement since the Reformation. This course will explore its origins in Latin America in the 1960s, the challenges and developments over the decades, the influence of the 16th-century Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas on liberation theology, and how a liberationist perspective emerges in the social theology of Pope Francis.
Ethna is Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Dublin City University. A Holy Faith Sister, she worked for over a decade in Trinidad and five years in Samoa. Her research areas are human rights, Catholic social thought, Liberation Theology, and ecclesial responses to child abuse.
COURSE C God East and West
Lecturer: Michael Barnes SJ
What does it mean to utter the word ‘God’? How are we to regard and value the words about God that come from an authoritative tradition? And when should we keep silence before the utter mysteriousness of things that challenges the human capacity to speak at all? These lectures will address such questions not through the philosophy of religion but in dialogue with the experience and language of the religions themselves. We cannot study God because God is not an object to be put under a microscope or reduced to the status of the subject of a learned book. But we can study what people say about their experience of God, where the inherited symbols, concepts and words which make up our religious traditions come from, and how they can be said to hang together, both within particular traditions and between different religious perspectives.
Michael teaches theology and inter-religious relations at the University of Roehampton and the Margaret Beaufort Institute in the Cambridge Theological Federation.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Suggested Donation:
Non-residential: £72 for the whole weekend. £36 for Saturday or Sunday only. This includes tea and coffee and a light lunch. A non-refundable deposit of £20 is asked for when booking.
If attending the Public Lecture on Friday only, we ask for a donation of £5. If you are attending any other part of the weekend, this lecture is included in your donation.
Residential Places: Please enquire about the availability of residential places if required. Suggested donation: £184 (this includes course fee). Please make it clear on your booking form if you require accommodation, and include a £50 non-refundable deposit to secure your room. All accommodation is en-suite.
Please Note: It is important to us that nobody is excluded from our programmed events for financial reasons. Please speak to us if you would find difficulty in meeting the suggested offering. If on the other hand, you feel able to make an extra contribution towards a bursary fund, this would enable others to participate in our programme.
Catering: The suggested donation includes tea/coffee and a light lunch.
Parking: A car park is available at the Centre.
Bookings: Please fill in the booking form and return it to Loreto Centre with your deposit.
For further information: Phone us on 01492 878031 or email: loretocentre@yahoo.co.uk
Contact on the day of your arrival: Please call Ewa on 07503 775368. (Please do not use this number at any other time).